There’s controversy in High Line Park and if you’ve walked the retrofitted railway, you may well have sat on the very issue. It’s the wood that the designers used for the benches, bleacher seating , and decking and it’s got the Rainforest Relief organization up in arms. Why? Because the Friends of the High Line, who are responsible for the new green space in New York, choose to use old-growth ipe wood from the rainforest instead of a local sustainably-grown wood, reclaimed wood, or recycled plastic lumber.

Rainforest Relief is criticizing the Friends of the High Line for choosing the ipe wood for aesthetic reasons, as the durability of ipe is matched and even exceeded by certain woods that are local to America (Friends of the High Line maintain that they chose ipe for its longevity), and for disregarding repeated calls from the organizations urging the park designers to opt for another wood, although the park designers did contact Rainforest Relief at point to inquire about the more-sustainable black lotus wood.With increasing demand for ipe wood estimated by some to deplete it completely in the next 8 years, Rainforest Relief is now calling on the Friends of the High Line to change their ways by using an alternative wood (whether it be sustainable domestic or recycled plastic) for the final sections of the park and by making a statement about the environmental reasons for doing so.

The Friends of the High Line don’t seem to be keen on the idea, however, instead responding via their website with a statement explaining that the ipe wood on the High Line came from a managed forest certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and clarifying some of the endoresments for the FSC. But Rainforest Relief quickly shot back at them, claiming that FSC wood doesn’t mean sustainable wood and that certification doesn’t always equal eco-friendliness (it’s worth noting that Rainforest Relief has had something of an ongoing complaint with the FSC).

With recent scandal about Amazon wood laundering (selling wood as eco-friendly when it’s far from it) in the headlines, it’s easy to doubt certification programs, but the FSC remains one of the most trusted in the country and still indicates an increased effort. Still, we can’t help wishing the Friends of the High Line went truly green with recycled plastic lumber, which, although not quite as pleasing to the eye, reuses something old and rundown for something new and wonderful—not unlike the High Line itself.

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